Window-cleaning device.



A. PRANKHAUSER.

WINDOW CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 22. 1911.

190709676., Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

Ulf/Z 551,05. 272053K@ N FF,

AITKEN lrmi'nknnusnn, or NEW Yoan, ir. Y.

WINDOW-CLEANING- DEVICE.

income.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rarement aug.' te, reis.,

Application led May 22, 1911., Serial No. 628,742.

,ough of Brook yn, county of Kings, and

State of New York, have invented a new and useful Vindow-CleaningDevice, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that type of cleaning deviceswhich may be attached to the front windows or glass vshields of streetcars, locomotive cabs, pilot houses, automobiles or other conveyancesused for travellng, and of certain stationary structures as well, toremove therefrom any moisture, rain, snow, sleet, frost or such matteras may gather or be precipitated upon the windowpanes and would obstructthe view of the driver, niotorman, engineer, pilot,`\cha'uffeur or otherattendant, as t-he case may be. Reference is had particularlytoa-devices wherewith part of the surface of ar-`windowpane can becleaned on the outside by operation from within, the 4same being ofsutlicientarea to give a full, unobstructed View of objects ahead, to anob'- server located on the inside.

The principal object of the ,invention is so to construct the devicethat it may be applied to do the cleaning with a greater or less degreeof pressure dependent upon the will and action of the operator, guidedby atmospheric conditions and attendingy circumstances wherever he maybe stationed or moving. j

Other objects are to provide a cleaner of the type set Vforth which willbe of simple as well las efective construction, easily attached. ordetached, and capable of economical renovation.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in whichy Figure l shows a transverse horizontal section of awindow sash, on which this improved cleaner is mounted, ready foroperail t-ion, and Fig. 2 is a substantially central cross-section ofthe device separate from the sash taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in both views.

A bushing a is inserted in the window sash or other convenient point atsuch point that the device will not preventlthe sliding Aof the sash toone side, or raising or lowering it as the case may be; into saidbushing a is inserted from within an operating lever b extending beyondthe bushing. The inner end of this lever is bent parallel to t-he windowpane and forms a handle by means of which the device is manipulated, itbeing spaced from the panel a suitable distance for the purpose. Themiddle portion is cylindrical where it passes through the bushing,

to enable it to be rotated or rocked therein. Beyond this cylindricalportion, the lever is squared and made to project away from the sash onthe outside. Over the end of the operating lever is set an arm c, whichis made to extend also parallel to the window pane, on the outside,preferably as far as the center thereof and opposite the said leverhandle. A curved spring 0l is placed over the socket part of this arm,and held thereagainst by a pin e passing transversely through the outerend of the squared portion'of 'the lever. This spring, tends to draw thelever outward, causing a shouldered portion thereof to bear firmly upona peripheral flange of the bushing a. The other end of the arm c hasoffset jaws f f turned edgewise toward the window pane and through whicha bolt or pin g is placed at right angles to the length of said arm.

Extending the lengt-h of and beyond the arm 0 and held in the jaws f fby the bolt g is the window cleaner 71, consisting of two metal stripsvl z' and between them a rubber strip or other pliable material 7c whicheX- tends slightly beyond the metal strips on the sideneXt the window,the metal and rubber strips composing the cleaner being riveted orscrewed together, said window cleaner h has a hole through the centeradapted to receive the pin g and countersunk at l l on both sides topermit of the cleaner being inclined at will of the operator, thecleaner being normally poised or held in vertical position for wipingoil moisture, dust, etc. by the rubber only, by two springs m m setbetween the sides of the cleaner and the jaws f f. The pin g may beprevented from endwise movement relative to the jaws f f, by anyapproved means, for instance by pins p p.

The operator, by pulling the lever b 1nward causes the rubber strip toadhere to the window glass,` and by moving the same arcuately `in eitherdirection, the whole cleaner inclines or ltilts to either side wherevthe resistance is the least, being permitted to do so by thecountersunk holes at l Z, the giving way by one of the springs m and thejaws f f being wide enough to admit ot the necessary inclination. Eitheredge of the metal strips may then be brought into dragging contact withthe surface of the window glass with sufficient pressure to cut orscrape away any sleet, frost or other hard substance lthat may gatherthereon. The said jaws f f are suitably spaced apart to admit of theaforementioned tilting of the strips t lc and corresponding tlexure oftheir springs m m, and further they are narrowed inwardly as representedat f2 in Fig. 2, to form abutments, which limit 'the movementof thestrips or plates i in both directions sidewise'on the pin g.

I claim:`

1. A window cleaning device comprising an element adapted to be movedover the surface of the glass pane, means for yieldingly supporting saidelement whereby it will normally be maintained in a positionsubstantially perpendicular to said surface, and actuating means capableof moving the element toward the` pane and swinging it across the sameeither in its normal position or tilted, so as to produce a draggingmotion, at the will of the operator.

2. A window cleanings device comprising an element composed of both softand hard materials, an arm normally holding said element with the softmaterial thereof in contact with the glass pane, a depressor whereby thearm `can be carried inward to tilt 4said element and cause it to sweepthe pane with both its said hard and soft materialsand touching theglass 'pane and 'the hard mate-v rial spaced therefrom, and a yieldingcon,- nection tending to draw said arm toward the window, said cleaningelement being tiltably -connectedl to the arm to allow both said hardand soft materials to touch the glass ane when the arm is drawn inwardlyto ll extent.

4. A window cleaning device comprising an element composed of soft andhard mate- 4rialshthe j soft, material normally contacting nemersedgewise with the window pane and the- .hung from said arm, said elementhaving `oppositely flaring holes through which sai pivot-pin is passed,a handle for actuating said arm allowing it to be drawn with the elementtoward the panes surface, and means for normalizing the element aftertilting 5. A window-cleaning device comprising an element normallytouching the glass pane perpendicularly, an' arm adapted to move saidelementfjaws on the arm between which said element is tiltably mounted,-a spring operating tolnormalize the element after it has been tilted,means on the jaws for limiting the tilting movement of the element, andactuating means whereby the arm can be moved with the element tiltedtocause either edge thereof to contact the pane with a dragging motion. A

6. A window cleaning device comprising an element composed of combinedflexible and rigid material, the flexible material being set normally totouch the glass pane.

-of said jaws, said element having opposite outwardly flaring holesthrough which said pivot pin passes, and which enable it to be inclinedeither way thereon, a pair of springs between said jaws tending tomaintain said element perpendicularly to the window glass, an operatingstem passing through and tted in the window sash, said stem beingshouldered to bear o-n one side of said sash and projecting beyond theother side thereof, said arm being attached to the projecting end ofsaid stem so as to be moved thereby, a compression spring upon the stemand the .arm carrying said element, and a handle' formed on the stemlwhereby it can be moved with or without compressing .said spring, thusVenabling the'operator to move the cleaning element at his option eithertilted or perpendicular arcuately over the surface of the Window pana4`'AITKEN FRANKHAUSER.

Witnesses:

S. E. DEVORE,

J. R. ROBERTSON.

